University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Head to USATF Championships
6/20/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
MINNEAPOLIS -- Taylor Wiebke, Nicolle Murphy, Ashley Ramacher and four Golden Gopher alumnae make up the seven competitors with ties to Minnesota women's track & field who are scheduled to compete at the 2017 USATF Senior and Junior Outdoor Championships this week in Sacramento, Calif.
Wiebke, Murphy, and Ramacher join Minnesota alums Liz Podominick, Gabriele Grunewald (Brooks), Heather Kampf (ASICS/Team USA Minnesota), and Jamie Cheever (Oiselle/Team USA Minnesota) in competing this week. Action gets underway on Thursday and continues through Sunday in both the junior and senior competitions.
About the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships
The 2017 USATF Outdoor Championships are returning to Sacramento, Calif., this Thursday through Sunday at Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium. The best track & field athletes in the country will compete to qualify for the IAAF World Championships to be held in London Aug. 4-13.
Gophers at the USATF Senior Championships
Murphy and Wiebke join four Gopher alumni in competing in the USATF Senior Championships this week. Murphy will compete in the javelin, heading into the competition ranked fifth at 56.35m; she did not compete for Minnesota during the 2017 season. Meanwhile, Wiebke will compete in the high jump after placing third at the 2017 Big Ten Indoor Championship and going on to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championship where she tied for 21st. She broke Minnesota's outdoor program record this season, clearing 1.85m (6-00.75) to win the high jump title at the Longhorn Invite.
Podominick enters competition ranked fourth in the discus at 61.35m, and three more Gopher alumnae will compete on the track. Kampf and Grunewald are set to race the 1,500m where Kampf enters the competition ranked fifth at 4:05.31 and Grunewald's 4:11.86 was the 21st-ranked time accepted in the field of 30 runners. Cheever comes into the 3,000m steeplechase ranked 14th at 9:47.70 as well.
Gophers at the USATF Junior Championships
Ramacher, who competed unattached during her freshman season in 2017, is set to compete in high jump at the USATF Junior Championships. This season, Ramacher cleared a career-best 1.80m (5-10.75) during the 2017 outdoor season. A multi-event competitor, she set the mark during the CSB-SJU Invite Heptathlon in April.
Competition Schedule (All times Central)
Thursday, June 22:
6:00 p.m. - Javelin, Sr. Women, Final (Murphy)
7:50 p.m. - Discus, Sr. Women, Final (Podominick)
9:13 p.m. - 3,000m Steeplechase, Sr. Women, First Round (Cheever)
10:05 p.m. - 1,500m, Sr. Women, First Round (Kampf, Grunewald)
Friday, June 23:
7:40 p.m. - High Jump, Sr. Women, Final (Wiebke)
Saturday, June 24:
4:12 p.m. - 1,500m, Sr. Women, Final (TBD)
4:24 p.m. - 3,000m Steeplechase, Sr. Women, Final (TBD)
6:00 p.m. - High Jump, Jr. Women, Final (Ramacher)
USATF Championships Broadcast Schedule
Broadcast coverage of the championships is as follows:
Thursday - 2:45 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., NBC Sports Gold
Friday - 2:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., NBC Sports Gold
Friday - 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., NBCSN/NBC Sports Gold
Saturday - 12:45 p.m. to 3 p.m.; 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., NBC Sports Gold
Saturday - 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., NBC/NBC Sports Gold
Sunday - 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m.; 5 p.m. to 5:10 p.m., NBC Sports Gold
Sunday - 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., NBC/NBC Sports Gold
Live coverage of junior events will be on available online at USATF.TV+PLUS, and live coverage of senior events will be online via NBC Sport Gold.
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Players Mentioned
